Feb. 8, 2018, 3:24 p.m.

The sexual harassment controversies that have consumed California’s Capitol in recent months have got the attention of the state’s residents — even more than the brewing race to be the state’s next governor.

Forty-six percent of California adults — and nearly 60% of likely voters — are closely following developments of harassment and misconduct in Sacramento, according to a new survey by the Public Policy Institute of California. By contrast, only around a third of likely voters say they’re closely tracking news in the governor’s race.

The issue of sexual harassment in state politics surged into the limelight several months ago as part of the #MeToo movement. An open letter signed by more than 140 women denouncing a Capitol culture they described as rife with misconduct set off a domino effect, with two legislators resigning after facing allegations of harassment and another lawmaker currently on leave pending an investigation into his behavior.

Feb. 8, 2018, 3:20 p.m.

The LAPD-coached youth football team Watts Bears (in white) pursue a member of the Southern California Falcons during a 2013 game. The players are 7 to 9 years old. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

California would become the first state to prohibit minors from playing organized tackle football before high school under a proposal made Thursday by lawmakers concerned about the health risks.

Just days after the Super Bowl, Assembly members Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) and Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) said they are introducing the “Safe Youth Football Act,” legislation that will be considered this year by state lawmakers.

Under the bill, organized tackle football would be allowed starting with high school freshmen.

The FBI investigation into whether GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter of Alpine misused campaign funds for personal expenses appears to be intensifying, according to a report by Politico. The website revealed that additional grand jury subpoenas have been issued to people close to the five-term congressman. Here are some key new pieces of information from Politico’s report:

• Hunter’s parents and a female lobbyist he knows have received grand jury subpoenas. That followed a raid last February in which the FBI seized computers and documents from Hunter’s campaign finance compliance firm. According to Politico, Hunter’s wife and former campaign manager, Margaret Hunter, is at the center of the investigation and made many of the purchases in question. A subpoena was also issued to a business in Hunter’s district in December, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

• Hunter was surprised by the results of a review by an outside law firm his campaign hired to look at spending. In April 2016, more than $1,300 in video game purchases caught the attention of the Federal Election Commission and the Union-Tribune. Afterward, Hunter hired a law firm to review his campaign spending. Sources told Politico that Hunter was “shocked” when the review turned up more than $60,000 in improper campaign expenditures, which he later repaid and blamed on his wife. They included payments to a dentist, nail salons, theme parks, trips to Italy and $600 to fly the family’s pet rabbit. Hunter has said his wife no longer has access to the campaign credit card.

With recreational marijuana sales now legal in California, one lawmaker wants to find out whether drugged driving is going to be a significant problem.

Assemblyman Ed Chau (D-Arcadia) has introduced a bill that would require all local law enforcement agencies to file annual reports with the state Department of Motor Vehicles detailing the number of arrests made for driving under the influence and the number of those arrests in which pot was suspected to be the substance causing impairment.

“Currently, the state has no uniform mechanism in place to evaluate cannabis drugged driving arrests as a result of legalization,” Chau said.

GOP gubernatorial candidate John Cox told supporters on Wednesday that he was putting another $1 million of his money into his campaign, adding to his significant financial advantage among Republican candidates in the race.

“While we have gathered nearly 5,000 individual donors across California, it's also important that I show continued investment in my campaign,” Cox emailed supporters.

Feb. 7, 2018, 9:00 p.m.

A motorist prepares to gas up her vehicle in San Rafael, Calif., in 2015. The state's gas tax increases are expected to remain controversial throughout 2018. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

Likely voters are divided over a proposed initiative that would repeal recent increases in California’s gas tax and vehicle fees to pay for road and bridge repairs and mass transit improvements, according to the results of a survey released Wednesday.

The repeal of the gas tax is supported by 47% of likely voters and opposed by 48%, according to the statewide survey by the Public Policy Institute of California.

Repeal is supported by 61% of Republican voters and 52% of independents, but by only 39% of Democrats.

With less than four months to go until the June 5 primary, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are running practically neck and neck in the 2018 race for governor, according to a new poll by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.

California’s U.S. Senate race is a much different story. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is seeking a fifth full term, leads by a wide margin over her most formidable challenger, state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León of Los Angeles, the survey found.

All four of those top candidates are Democrats, showing just how dismal the prospects are for a Republican Party that has not won a statewide election in California since 2006.

Feb. 7, 2018, 8:14 p.m.

The woman gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom had an affair with when he was mayor of San Francisco spoke out about their relationship on Wednesday after questions about the liaison emerged in the governor’s race.